Arsenal have 'early signs' of big problem for William Saliba and Gabriel

David Raya's performances at Arsenal continue to be scrutinised after a number of errors made in recent matches. The Spaniard arrived at the Emirates Stadium in the summer and has quickly become Mikel Arteta's first-choice goalkeeper.

Aaron Ramsdale had been the uncontested first choice for some time after replacing Bernd Leno in 2021. The England international had helped the Gunners go from top four strugglers to Premier League title challengers with his ability to play out with the ball, but Raya's arrival has changed things.

Joining from Brentford on an initial loan with an option of a permanent deal, Raya arrived to add competition to Ramsdale with Arsenal competing in four different competitions. However, since making his debut against Everton, Raya has been the obvious first choice.

However, mistakes have occurred. In the 2-1 Champions League defeat to RC Lens, Raya's poor pass resulted in Adrien Thomasson scoring before he was lobbed by Mykhailo Mudryk in the recent draw with Chelsea after poor positioning.

There were more nervous moments in the win over Sevilla on Tuesday night, resulting in some questioning Arteta's decision to stick with the Spain international. Sky Sports' Gary Neville claimed that the Gunners boss has a problem on his hands with Thierry Henry admitting the goalkeeper scares him.

And former Liverpool right-back and ESPN pundit Steve Nicol has insisted that Raya could become a real problem for Arsenal this season. "I think if he continues to flap at crosses [that] come into the box and gets himself in bad positions like Shaka [Hislop] thought he did for the Mudryk cross at the weekend then I think it's going to have an effect on Saliba and Gabriel because their starting position is going to change," he said on ESPN FC.They’re now thinking crosses into the box, we haven’t got Aaron Ramsdale who is 6ft4 and a big imposing goalkeeper, that makes a defender’s job different. When you know your keeper has got that authority in the box then it makes your job slightly different.

“When you have a keeper who is not particularly good in that area, as a defensive unit you might have to change your mindset a bit.

“I think the concern is, and we’re a long way from it, that his inadequacy from these balls in could start seeping through. There are early signs that this could be a problem.”